


Thankful for You

by PrincessStarryKnight



Category: Star Wars: Jedi: Fallen Order (Video Game), Star Wars: Rebels
Genre: Child Cal Kestis, First Crush, First Kiss, First Love, Hiccups, Hurt Cal Kestis, Hurt/Comfort, Injured Cal Kestis, M/M, Master & Padawan Relationship(s), Padawan Cal Kestis, Padawan Kanan Jarrus, Pre-Order 66 (Star Wars), Protective Kanan Jarrus, Soft Cal Kestis, Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Dinner, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2020-11-27
Packaged: 2021-03-10 07:13:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27729322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrincessStarryKnight/pseuds/PrincessStarryKnight
Summary: Former creche-mates now Padawans Caleb Dume and Cal Kestis reunite on the battlefield as their battalions join forced to push back the Separatists. They emerge victorious and celebrate with a large feast! And Billaba and Tapal take notice of the close bond that their padawans seem to share, as Caleb has to help Cal eat since he injured his arm during the battle.
Relationships: CC-10/994 | Grey & Kanan Jarrus, Cal Kestis & Jaro Tapal, Depa Billaba & CC-10/994 | Grey, Depa Billaba & Jaro Tapal, Depa Billaba & Kanan Jarrus, Kanan Jarrus & Cal Kestis, Kanan Jarrus/Cal Kestis, The Commander & Cal Kestis, The Commander & Jaro Tapal
Kudos: 37





	Thankful for You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [BatmanWhoLaughss](https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatmanWhoLaughss/gifts).



> Okay so I used to think that this was a pairing that could be cute but I had never seriously considered it before because like, Kanan and Hera are soulmates so it was hard for me to imagine them ever being in love with someone else but then @BatmanWhoLaughss got me invested into the idea of them being each other's first love at the Temple and I totally fell in love with that idea. So because of that I'm gifting my first work of this pairing to them! 
> 
> And since I fell in love with this ship during the week of Thanksgiving, the mood of the day and how thankful I am to my new writer friend for getting me inspired to write again, I got inspired to write this idea! Idk if either of these battalions ever went to Kashyyk but I'm having the setting be there because I think it would be a pretty place to have a feast. Enjoy!

"Cheers to another victory!" Commander Grey shouts and raises a glass in front of a crowd of clones.

The clones all cheer and raise their glasses back to him and take a drink, as do their Jedi Generals, albeit they're a bit more quiet than their battalions.

But nonetheless, they were just as happy as the clones for another victory in this long war against the Separatists. And their padawans were just as excited as well, and like the clones, were just as boisterous. 

"Victory!" Cal and Caleb cheer together in front of their clone commanders and clink their cups before taking a long drink. 

Upon seeing that, the Jedi Masters' parental instincts kicked in. 

"Commander Grey, you made sure to put soda in there instead of ale right?" Depa asks her Clone Commander. 

"And I trust you did the same Commander Jay?" Jaro asks his Clone Commander.

"Uh..." Both clones say and watch as the thirteen year old boys finish their drinks.

They let out a satisfied "ah" followed by a hiccup from Caleb that makes Cal point and laugh at him before he hiccups himself and Caleb points and laughs back. Until he sees that the hiccup was so large that it caused Cal's shoulder to move which made it hurt. Then he places his hands on Cal's good shoulder and asks if he's okay. 

"Well I'm pretty sure we did but even if we didn't it's too late to check now." Grey says and Depa smiles and rolls her eyes. 

Jaro on the other hand still seemed a bit worried. He had already been worried about Cal's condition after he had injured his shoulder trying to get away from a bomb he had set in the Separatist base during the battle. After setting the bomb, a group of battle droids pursued him and he sacrificed precision for speed and paid the price by banging his shoulder into a branch while running along the thicker tree branches as if they were a wall like his Master had taught him. Thankfully Depa and her padawan had been there just in time to save him. And together their battalions managed to defeat the remaining forces and re-take Kashyyk for the Republic. 

"Grey was only joking, Jaro." Depa says and places a comforting hand on his upper arm. "He would never pull such a stunt as spiking the boy's drinks, even if they asked him to..." she says as her gaze shifts to Caleb, her tone of voice indicating that something like that might have happened once before. 

"I know but, Cal has already hurt himself once today and I don't want him to do anything risky that would slow his recovery." Jaro says. 

"Hic-Ow!" Cal whines as another large hiccup jostles his shoulder again. 

"Cal stop it! You're hurting yourself!" Caleb scolds him. 

"It's hiccups Caleb! I can't stop it whenever I want! Hic!" Cal whines. "How come you're not hiccuping?" 

"Because unlike you I know how to pace myself-hic!" Caleb says, making Cal laugh which causes him to hiccup again and wince from the pain.

Jaro sighs. He blames himself for Cal's injury. If only he had been harder on him during training, perhaps drilled him more, then maybe he would have had the skills to prevent this injury? But he refused to let that weigh on his mind. Cal was alright, thanks mostly in part to Depa's padawan. Tapal had first met with them after their battalion had been summoned for reinforcements. And he was surprised by the fiery emotions coming off Caleb when he had been informed that Cal was sent out on his own to set a bomb to blow up the base. 

_"You just sent him out there all on his own!" Caleb exclaimed._

_"Not on his own, he has a small force of clones with him and I believe he has progressed in his training well enough to be able to handle-" Jaro tried to explain to Caleb but the boy refused to listen._

_"But what if something happens! Those clankers could ambush them! Cal could slip and fall out of the tree! He used to fall at least half of the time he tried climbing pillars and ledges in the creche! He could get seriously hurt or worse-"_

_"Caleb!" Depa said sternly, silencing her padawan._

_The young boy immediately turned to his Master and bowed his head in apology._

_"I know you are worried for Padawan Kestis's safety, but you must not let those emotions cloud your judgement." Depa said to him._

_"Yes Master. I'm sorry Master Tapal." Caleb apologized._

_"It's alright padawan. Your worry is not without reason. It has been awhile since I sent him on his way, perhaps you and your Master could rendezvous with him at a halfway point, just in case he needs more support." Jaro suggested._

_"Yes! We'll go right now!" Caleb exclaimed and ran forward before his Master grabbed him by the robe of his hood and dragged him back._

_"Patience, Caleb." Depa reminded him with a small smile on her face._

_"Yes Master." Caleb sighed._

"If the two of you had paced yourselves while enjoying your beverages, perhaps your bodies would have been able to handle the soda and not react in this way." Jaro says to the padawans.

"Yes-hic-Master-hic." Cal and Caleb say in unison.

Depa smiles at the boys, finding their predicament absolutely adorable. But in Cal's case, it was causing him pain, so it had to be dealt with.

"Here you go boys." Depa says and hands them each a glass of water. "Now drink this slowly, and it should help."

"Thank you-hic-Master." Caleb and Cal say and begin to sip their water. 

“You boys both fought bravely today.” Jaro says. “Depa and I both agree that this is the best battle you’ve had so far. You’ve taken what we taught you and executed it excellently.”

”Me too?” Cal asks. “But I dislocated my shoulder on that branch. Caleb was the one who was amazing out there today! You guys should have seen him! He looked so cool out there with his lightsaber cutting down those clankers! He looked like a real Jedi Master!”   
  
Cal closes his eyes and plays back the memory of that moment when Caleb saved his life.

_He had been running through the trees from the droids shooting at him from below. As he ran against the sides of the thicker branches, he was so focused on dodging the droids blaster shots that he didn't notice that one of them had shot a branch from above him, and had it swing down to hit him in the shoulder as he leapt towards the edge of a cliff._

_Thankfully the fall wasn't very high and he landed on the ground having only sustained a few scrapes and bruises on the way down. But unfortunately his shoulder was dislocated and now he was right in the line of fire for the droids approaching him. This was it. He thought. This is how I go. One slip up and I'm finished. But then, a shadow came over him, and when Cal looked up he saw his best friend, his knight in shining armor, jump down from the cliff and land in front of him with his lightsaber ablaze and the sunlight shining around him._

_He'd recognize that messy brown hair anywhere, and once he turned around saw those teal eyes, that fear turned into pure joy._

_"Caleb." He whispered softly._

_"Hey Cal." Caleb said with a smirk and a light blush on his cheeks. "You just hang in there, I've got this."_

_And with that Caleb charged into battle and sliced up the droids as Cal watched starry-eyed. He felt like he was dreaming, this couldn't be real. But it was. Caleb had come to rescue him with his Master. And while he should have been watching Depa fight to pick up on her form and technique, he couldn't take his eyes off of Caleb. Watching him fight with such passion, to defend him. It was making his heart race and his cheeks heat up. He didn't know what exactly he was feeling, but he liked it. A lot._

Depa could see her padawan blushing as Cal recounted the tale of Caleb’s bravery in defending him in battle. She remembered how after the battle Caleb had rushed back to where Cal was, worry coming off of him in waves when he saw the medic putting his arm in a sling. He made such a fuss over Cal's injury that the medic decided to let him be the one to monitor Cal to make sure he was resting his arm and help him with tasks that required two arms. Caleb readily accepted the role and Depa couldn't help but smirk as her blushing padawan led a still starry-eyed Cal back to his battalion's base. 

She had heard from both Master Yoda and Obi-Wan that Cal and Caleb had been close friends in the creche, but clearly something more was brewing underneath those feelings.

"All I did was slice up a few clankers." Caleb says and scratches the back of his neck. "You were the one who set the bomb that blew their base up. You were the hero of this battle Cal." 

"Are you kidding?!" Cal exclaims. "You were so amazing out there! I couldn't stop looking at you! That and you saved my life. Without you and your Master I would be dead right now! Caleb you're my hero!" 

Depa bit her lip to hold back a grin as her padawan's blush spread from his neck, to his face, all the way up to the tips of his ears and he quickly looks away from Cal's bright green eyes and mumbles "Uh thanks, it was nothing." 

* * *

Not only were drinks being served at this celebration, but food as well! Both battalions had their own stores, and grateful for their help, the Wookies supplied some food as well, and they even joined in the celebration! 

Cal and Caleb sat at a table together catching up on all that had happened since they were assigned to their Masters. 

Cal was happy to hear that Caleb was happy with Master Billaba. His eyes would light up when he recounts their battles and lessons spent together. Caleb had always been a bit of a teacher's pet, and was always eager to please his elders when he wasn't throwing a million questions at them. Poor Master Kenobi had been given many headaches from listening to Caleb's questions after lessons. So Caleb definitely needed a Master who could either keep up with him or slow him down, and thankfully it seemed like Master Billaba was that person for him. 

Caleb knew that Cal was one of the most troublemaking younglings in the creche. He refused to stay on the ground, always climbing things he shouldn't be and managing to get into places that the other Jedi Masters didn't even know that he could reach. Maybe that's what drew Caleb to Cal in the first place. He was always reaching new heights, literally. And his psychometry was an interesting ability that had been the spark of their friendship.

Caleb had a million questions about Cal's ability and his questions only spurred the other younglings to ask questions. But Cal didn't have the patience to listen to all of them. So he just told Caleb and the other younglings to bring him some objects that belonged to them and he would demonstrate the ability for them. The younglings had brought them some books they liked, or stuffed toys, but Caleb gave Cal his training saber. And once Cal held it, he had a vision of Caleb practicing then tripping on a fold in the rug and stubbing his toe on the edge of a chair and crying. Poor Caleb had been so embarrassed when Cal shared that vision with their class that it made him feel sorry for him. So after their lessons he went to Caleb's room with some Wookie cookies he stole from Master Yoda and an apology, and the rest was history. 

Cal definitely needed a strict Master. But not one who would completely tie him to the ground, he just needed someone to discipline him into honing in the skills he already possessed. But because of the clone wars, Masters didn't get choose their padawans themselves based on a connection anymore. They were just assigned to each other without ever having met. So Caleb was worried that Cal would just get assigned a strict Master who would punish him for his climbing urges and not understand his psychometry. 

So he was relieved to hear that Caleb was enjoying his time with Master Tapal. Sure he was strict, but he was understanding as well. He bonded well with Cal and Caleb could tell that he cared for him. And that's all he could have wanted in a Master for Cal. Someone who would care for him as much as he did. He was thankful to have Master Billaba in his life, and he was thankful that Cal had Master Tapal too. 

And he was thankful to be able to see Cal again. This is the longest they'd ever been apart, and he was worried that he might never see Cal again. So to be able to not only see him again, but talk to him for this long with good food! He couldn't be more thankful to the Force for giving them this gift. 

Cal was embarrassed that his arm was stuck in a sling for his big reunion with Caleb. He wanted to show Caleb just how much he had improved in his training, and maybe even spar with him! But instead Caleb had to cut his food for him during the victory feast. 

It was sweet how Caleb wanted to take care of him, but Cal couldn't help but feel like he had ruined their reunion. 

"Hey...I'm sorry you have to do this Caleb." Cal says. 

"What are you talking about?" Caleb asks, confused as to why his friend felt bad that he was helping him. 

"Because I got hurt, instead of having fun you have to take care of me." Cal says. 

"Cal!" Caleb exclaims and places his hand on top of Cal's. 

Cal's eyes went wide and his face turns bright red from the physical contact he was experiencing with Caleb. He was holding his hand! Hopefully Caleb wasn't reading his mind right now because if he was, all he would hear is _"AAAAAHHHHH!!!"_ at an ear-drum bursting volume. 

Cal squirms in his seat as Caleb looks at him with those kind teal eyes, those eyes that he could stare at for hours. How come his chest always felt so tight whenever Caleb looked at him like that. It made him feel things, things he wasn't sure he was supposed to be feeling. He felt like he wanted to spend the rest of his life at Caleb's side, holding him, talking to him, smiling and laughing with him. He wasn't sure if this was a mix of emotions, or just one new one, but he was totally unprepared to handle what Caleb was about to say to him. 

"Cal, you're my best friend. I wouldn't be able to have fun without you. You're hurt and I want to take care of you. There's nowhere I'd rather be than right here, right now, with you." Caleb says. 

Caleb's words made the blood pound in Cal's ears. His heart was pounding as well. One of Caleb's fingers was near his pulse point, he briefly wondered if Caleb could feel it, but his current priority was thinking of a way to respond to what his best friend just said to him. 

"I-I feel the same Caleb!" Cal declares. 

Caleb blinks in surprise and feels a smile tug at the corners of his lips. 

"R-really?" Caleb stammers. 

"Yeah." Cal says. "I-if you were hurt like this, I would take care of you too! I wouldn't even just cut your food for you! I'd feed it to you too!" 

Caleb perked up like he just got a great idea, and Cal's breath hitched as a result. 

Caleb took Cal's fork and stabbed it into a piece of meat before holding it in front of Cal's mouth. He gulped. 

"Open up Cal." Caleb urges. 

Cal opens his mouth and lets Caleb stick the food in his mouth. 

As soon as Caleb pulls the fork back, the boys erupt into laughter. 

"Cal don't laugh with food in your mouth, you'll choke!" Caleb warns. 

"Well if I do it's your fault for feeding me!" Cal mumbles before swallowing his food. 

He looks at Caleb and notices some jelly on the corner of his lip, payback.

"Hey, you've got something right here." Cal says and points at the corner of his lip to show where it was. 

Embarrassed, Caleb reaches up to wipe his face, but Cal stops him by placing his hand on Caleb's. His fingers brush against the bracelet he had made for him before their initiate trials and he gets a sense echo from it. 

He saw himself through Caleb's eyes when he had given it to him. But he could also feel what Caleb was feeling at that time. It felt similar to how Cal was feeling now, nervous but excited. And some feeling that was drawing him to Cal, like a tug at his heart. A yearning to be with him. 

Once the echo ended, Cal felt even more confident in his plan. 

"Wait, let me get it." Cal suggests. 

Caleb felt his heart pounding as Cal's face got closer to his. What was he going to do? 

Cal presses his mouth against the corner of Caleb's cheek and licks the jelly from it.

The contact of Cal's mouth so close to his made something awaken inside of Caleb. A new feeling he had never felt before, an instinct that told him he didn't want to just feel Cal's mouth against his cheek. He was already so close to his mouth, what if...

Cal's eyes widen when he realizes that Caleb had just shifted his face so now their lips were pressing against each other's. It was a new and strange feeling. But it was one he liked. 

When they pull apart they were both blushing and unsure of what to say next. 

"Why did you do that?" Cal asks. 

"I don't know. I mean, I've seen people in holovids do it with people they like and it makes them happy, so I thought I would try it with you." Caleb says. "D-did you like it?" 

"Yeah." Cal says and smiles. "Your lips tasted like jelly." 

Of course he would say something like that. Sometimes he wishes he had psychometry like Cal, so he could know what he was feeling as easily as Cal could know for him. 

"You're so weird." Caleb says.

"Hey, I just wanted to lick you, you're the one who wanted a kiss." Cal says and teasingly puckers his lips like he wanted to do it again.

Caleb considered kissing him again, but since he was teasing him, he felt like he should tease him back and so instead he pushes Cal's good shoulder in a playful shove. 

Cal tries to move his arm to catch himself then remembers that his arm is in a sling. Caleb remembers that at the same time as both boys eyes go wide as Cal falls backwards off of the log stool he was sitting on and lands on his back. 

* * *

Depa and Jaro watch their padawans from another table. Sipping some tea as they watch Caleb start fussing over Cal again and frantically apologize for knocking him over while he was injured and promising to give him all of his Wookie cookies to make up for it. Depa didn't even try to hold back the laugh that erupted from her as a result of the boy's antics and the normally stoic lasat couldn't help himself from laughing either. 

"I had a feeling those two boys thought of each other as more than friends." Depa says and sips her tea. 

"You are very perceptive. I noticed a new side of Cal that I had never seen before when you returned with him and Caleb but I thought that was just because I had never seen him interact with children his own age before. Clearly it was more than that." Jaro says and Depa laughs. 

"They're growing up." Depa says and looks at them fondly. "They're learning new things about themselves, experiencing new feelings." 

"It's an exciting time for them." Jaro says. 

"Yes. It certainly is." Depa says. 

She watches as Cal puts one of the cookies in his mouth and has Caleb bite off the other half before both of them laugh. 

"And we will have to teach them to manage these feelings so they don't get attached to each other." Jaro adds. 

"Yes, of course." Depa says. "I have no doubt that we can teach them to express their feelings for each other without being attached."

Then Depa shifts her gaze solely onto her padawan and smiles. 

"But no matter what path the Force has in store for my little Caleb, I just want him to be happy." She says. 

Jaro smiles and places a comforting hand on her shoulder while looking at his padawan.

"And I wish the same for Cal." He says. 

They both spend the rest of the night watching their padawans talk and play with each other, thankful to have them in their lives, and for them to have each other. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this cute little one-shot about a rare-pair! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone and may the Force be with you all!


End file.
